Final Fantasy VII and Literature

Final Fantasy VII is one of the most popular Final Fantasy games to date, and its hard not to see why. The game has wonderful game mechanics, great characters, and an exciting story. Final Fantasy games are usually known for having good stories, and VII's is no exception. VII's story starts off pretty basic, where you have the goal to take down the Shinra cooperation and stop it from siphoning off the life force of the planet, and while this remains as one of the core plots, it's only one layer of the entire narrative. There are many simultaneous plots that happen alongside it, such as the creation and mental breakdown of Sephiroth, Cloud's own psychological state, the Calamity Jenova and the destruction of the Cetra, the oppression of Wutai, Cid's dream to go to space, and the return of Sephiroth. Of course, the player would not be able to normally follow all of these at once, but they are fitted together in a way that makes it easier to grasp. In nearly all of the subplots, Shinra is usually the main cause/reason that these subplots exists. So the player doesn't need to go off and search for all the subplots, and it adds a layering effect to the man plot. All of these subplots are connected to Shinra, and so you'll almost always encounter them while you fight them.

Of course, VII's plot isn't the only thing great about the game. It also features a lost of unique characters with loads of character development, something some games nowadays don't really showcase. Each character in VII had their own reasons for joining the party, and they all developed as they traveled with you. One of the reasons while I believe VII got as popular as it did was because of it's literary merit. It is a very story-oriented video game and features many things you would see in a novel. Final Fantasy VII is receiving a remake on the PS4, and one could hope that they won't change some of the things that made VII enjoyable, but given their recent track record and the fact that they already stated that there were going to be story changes, this might cause some fans of the game concern.

Regardless, Final Fantasy VII in its purest form is a fine piece of literature.